Teaching & Learning - Teacher Development

Coaching & Collaboration

To ensure every student receives the best education possible, one of Serpentine Primary School's priorities is to have highly effective and engaging, expert teachers and education assistants in every classroom. It is our aim for Serpentine Primary to be recognised as a collaborative community within its staff.

To meet this expectation, SPS has implemented a range of opportunities for teachers and education assistants to expand and share their knowledge through collaboration and coaching.

Collaboration

Each week, teachers are given time to meet with the other teachers in their phase to engage in professional discussions around teaching and learning.

Coaching at Serpentine is a high priority and involves a range of formal and informal observations aimed at promoting a reflective teaching practice.

Our coaching model aims to:

Improve teacher practice (build teacher capacity)

Enhance teacher career and leadership skills

Support curriculum development at the school

Within the coaching model, the Principal and Associate Principal conduct frequent 'walkthroughs' of each classroom, to ensure consistency across all year levels and to promote teacher accountability. Regular feedback is given to teachers and education assistants to improve the teaching and learning in the classroom.

Formal coaching sessions each term enable teachers to reflect on their own teaching practice and set achievable and measurable goals with the support of the Associate Principal, Principal or coach.

Peer Coaching is also in place, with Phase Leaders given time to observe teachers and engage in professional discussions about teaching and learning in every classroom, supported by the Associate Principal and aligned with Serpentine Primary's vision and priorities.

Self Reflection Videoing is beginning to take place across all classrooms, with teachers being able to video their own lesson and reflect on their delivery and teaching practice.

Instructional Rounds also take place once a term, where groups of teachers use their DOTT to observe other teachers across the school. This enables teachers to ensure consistency throughout classrooms, gain new ideas for their own classroom and reflect on their own teaching practice.

Teacher modelling is also used to demonstrate new programs, highly effective warm ups, or exceptional lessons to new and existing staff, graduates or even visiting teachers or administration teams from other schools.

Teachers and education assistants are given opportunities to visit highly effective schools in WA, as well as attend Professional Development sessions aligned with Serpentine Primary's vision to improve their content knowledge or delivery.

This highly effective model allows teachers to develop their teaching practice while sharing their knowledge and skills with other teachers.